Mobhare Matinyi, The Citizen,
Friday, 27 April 2012.Last year, three days after the glorious occasion of marking the 47th year of our union, I wrote an article informing my fellow Tanzanians that ours is not the only union facing challenges; hence, we should be proud of our nation and work out our differences.
Please, allow me to submit the
updated version of the same article.
Yesterday, our nation marked the
48th anniversary since the two sovereign states of the Republic of Tanganyika
and the People’s Republic of Zanzibar united to form the United Republic of
Tanzania on April 26, 1964.
Today, we are indeed proud of our
nation, the only united republic in Africa, and one of only four united
countries in the world. Others are the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom
and the United States of America. What a pride to be a Tanzanian!
Our union was not only created for
political reasons such as Pan-Africanism, but rather for many more reasons
including our unique history, struggle for our independence, economic
activities, cultural and social affairs, etc.
Thanks to our fathers of the Union,
the first president of Tanganyika, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere and the
first president of Zanzibar, Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume. Without their great
hearts and minds, we would never have had a nation, a country, and a sovereign
state by the name of TANZANIA.
Yes, cynics may oppose our union,
but that’s normal in any united country or a federated state. Looking at some
cases in highly developed nations like Canada and Belgium, Tanzanians ought not
to feel inferior at all. We are probably better than we think.
Canada is a federated state with one
French-speaking province, Quebec. In 2006 the Canadian House of Commons was
forced to pass a symbolic motion to recognize the Québécois as a nation within
a united Canada. Doubtless, it was an embarrassment.
Currently, the official opposition
party in Quebec, the Social Democratic Party, advocates for secession from
Canada. Their position is not much different from that of the Alaska
Independence Party and the Puerto Rican Independence Party in the United
States, which seek secession from the United States.
Belgium, another federated state
comprised mainly Flemish and French-speaking people in February 2011 broke the
modern world record for the longest period without a central government. This
embarrassment followed an awful election conducted in June 2010, but at least
now Belgium is settled after the debacle.
The United Kingdom is not immune
either. When Muammar Gadhafi's agent, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, the famous
convicted Lockerbie bomber was set free in August 2009 by the Scottish Government,
some people around the world wondered how a non-sovereign state of Scotland,
like Zanzibar in our case, could strike a deal with Libya without involving the
UK government.
The same complication exists in UK
representation in several global sports bodies such as FIFA, where all four UK
countries, i.e. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are represented
individually unlike the United Republic of Tanzania, which participates as one
strong country.
In 1998 Northern Ireland, which
joined the Union in 1800, succeeded in getting back their executive office and
assembly, a clear setback to the union, but because the UK is a big power and
highly developed no one was bothered.
On the other hand, Scotland has had
its own Parliament since 1707 whenit signed the Acts of Union with the Kingdom
of England until 1999 when the referendum changed it into a devolved
legislature, basically giving some powers to the UK Parliament.
Only England, which was formed in
927, functions totally under the political system of the UK but again all four
countries keep their flags as well as their national anthems including Wales,
which has been part of the union since 1057. In the US, Alaska and Puerto Rico
are not the only headache.
In April 2009 the Governor of Texas,
Rick Perry, repeatedly threatened Texas’ secession if certain things didn’t go
their way. It is not a mere coincidence that the largest US army base is in
Texas and Alaska is a home to several air force bases.
Before his death in 2003 the famous
Hawaiian historian, Glen Grant, vowed: “The struggle for Hawaiian sovereignty
has not been dismissed as impractical or impossible, and many native Hawaiians
demand a truthful and rigorous reassessment.” Hawaii, which joined the union in
1959, hosts a superior US navy fleet.
Having gotten to 48 years is not a
small feat; we should be proud of our nation and look for better ways to
strengthen our union. We ought to remain as an exemplary country in Africa and
build a better Tanzania for our future generations.
The coming complex project of the new constitution
should not shake our nation but rather prove to critics that we are truly one
and united. God bless the United Republic of Tanzania!
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